Developmental wave form analysis of the neonatal flash evoked potential.

A multiple regression technique was used to describe the wave form of the flash evoked potential (VEP) in 64 neonates born between 28 and 39 weeks of gestation. The successive appearance of new features in the VEP with increasing gestational age at birth was used to define 5 components, of which specimens were obtained by averaging VEPs of 18 selected infants. The VEPs of the other 46 infants were expressed as linear sums of the components, each multiplied by a weighting coefficient. The method accounted for 74 +/- 11% (mean +/- 1 S.D.) of the rms power of the observed VEPs and was used to demonstrate significant effects on wave form maturation from fetal growth retardation and maternal smoking in pregnancy.